Rothschild banking family of England

Source: Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.

The coat of arms of Nathaniel Rothschild, current head of this branch

The Rothschild banking family of England is the English branch of the

N M Rothschild & Sons
bank in London.

From the family's home base in Frankfurt, the Rothschild family not only established itself in London but also in

Two Sicilies. Through their collaborative efforts, the Rothschilds rose to prominence in a variety of banking endeavours, including loans, government bonds and trading in bullion. Their financing afforded investment opportunities, and during the 19th century, they became major stakeholders in large-scale mining and rail transport
ventures that were fundamental to the rapidly expanding industrial economies of Europe.

Changes in governments, wars and other such events affected the family's fortunes, both for their benefit and to their detriment at various times. Despite such changes, the English branch of the Rothschild family is arguably the most prominent of all the Rothschild branches, partly due to its elevation to the

British peerage
and its continued high-profile philanthropic activities.

Involvement in finance and industry

During the early part of the 19th century, the Rothschild family's London bank took a leading part in managing and financing the subsidies that the British government transferred to its allies during the Napoleonic Wars. Through the creation of a network of agents, couriers and shippers, the bank was able to provide funds to the armies of the Duke of Wellington in Portugal and Spain. In 1818, the Rothschild bank arranged a £5 million loan to the Prussian government and the issuing of bonds for government loans. The providing of other innovative and complex financing for government projects formed a mainstay of the bank's business for the better part of the century. The financial strength of N M Rothschild & Sons in the City of London became such that by 1825–26, the bank was able to supply enough coin to the Bank of England to enable it to avert a liquidity crisis.[citation needed]

Nathan Mayer's eldest son, Lionel de Rothschild (1808–1879), succeeded him as head of the London branch. Under Lionel, the bank financed the British government's 1875 purchase of Egypt's interest in the Suez Canal. Lionel also began to invest in railways, as his uncle James had been doing in France. In 1869, Lionel's son, Alfred de Rothschild (1842–1918), became a director of the Bank of England, a post he held for 20 years. Alfred was one of those who represented the British government at the 1892 International Monetary Conference in Brussels.

The Rothschild bank funded

Rio Tinto copper mines. The new owners restructured the company and turned it into a profitable business. By 1905, the Rothschild interest in Rio Tinto amounted to more than 30 per cent. In 1887, the French and English Rothschild banking houses loaned money to, and invested in, the De Beers diamond mines in South Africa
, becoming its largest shareholders.

The London banking house continued under the management of

Sir Evelyn de Rothschild (1931–2022). In 2003, following Sir Evelyn's retirement as head of N M Rothschild & Sons of London, the English and French financial firms merged under the leadership of David René de Rothschild
.

Other activities

Beyond banking and finance, members of the Rothschild family in the UK became

academics, scientists and horticulturalists
with worldwide reputations.

département
of France.

Elevation to British peerage

In 1822, the five Rothschild brothers at the head of the family's banks in various parts of Europe were each granted the hereditary title of

Francis I of Austria (formerly Francis II, the last Holy Roman Emperor).[1] As a result, some members of the Rothschild family used the nobiliary particle de or von
before their surname to acknowledge the grant of nobility.

In 1847,

Nathan Mayer Rothschild, who was subsequently elevated to the House of Lords when he was created Baron Rothschild
in 1885, with which title the baronetcy remains merged.

In 1858, Lionel de Rothschild (1808–1879) became the first practising Jew to take a seat in the British Parliament.

Philanthropy

The English Rothschilds and members of the other branches in Europe were all major contributors to causes in aid of the Jewish people. However, many of their philanthropic efforts extended far beyond Jewish ethnic or religious communities. They built hospitals and shelters for the needy[citation needed], supported cultural institutions and were patrons of individual artists. Their donation of works of art to various galleries has been the largest of any family in history. At present, a research project is underway by the Rothschild Archive in London to document the family's philanthropic involvements.[3]

Family members

For the family tree of the Rothschild family, see Genealogy of the Rothschild family.

Members of the Rothschild family of the UK include:

Rothschild properties

See also: Rothschild properties in the home counties

Among the Rothschild properties in the UK are:

See also

References

  1. ^ Constantin von Wurzbach (1874). Biographisches Lexikon des Kaiserthums Oesterreich (in German). Vienna: Zamarski. p. 120.
  2. ^ "No. 20684". The London Gazette. 18 December 1864. p. 5885.
  3. ^ "Research Project: Project description". Archived from the original on 23 August 2013.

Further reading

External links


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